Hip-Hippo Hooray! ABQ BioPark Celebrates Birth of New Hippo Calf

The ABQ BioPark is excited to announce that the hippopotamus herd grew by one on Tuesday, October 14, following the birth of a new calf!

“With animal care staff monitoring from a distance, Karen the hippo went into labor this morning and had a successful delivery around 9:10 am. She then began bonding with her new calf, who looks to be healthy and in good shape,” said Lynn Tupa, BioPark associate director.

The herd’s animal care team say Karen and the calf, whose gender and name have yet to be determined, are doing well and staying close to each other's side. 

Since the birth, the hippo habitat has been closed off to visitors to give the two some privacy and it will likely remain closed for the next few days. Once the area is reopened, we ask guests to please keep their voices low in the area to help ensure the hippos’ comfort. 

“Karen's a very good mother,” said Bricker Thietten, a member of the hippo care team. “During this time we keep our distance, read her behavior, and work with her to make sure all her needs are met while she bonds with the calf.”  

Hippo calves are born and nursed underwater, already able to hold their breath and walk. At birth, they weigh around 50 pounds or more! 

“As far as the baby, it's Karen's choice on what she'll allow,” said Thietten. “Once she starts to bring the baby inside, we’ll start getting as close as we can to start early health assessments, but it’s really 100% up to Karen.”

Like Karen’s three previous calves, this one is also fathered by Moe, a longtime BioPark resident who will be a whopping 52 years old in two weeks! 

Matilda, Karen and Moe’s 4-year-old daughter, has grown up without siblings until now, so having a brother or sister will be an exciting experience for her. 

“It will be interesting to see how Matilda acts towards the baby,” said Thietten. “this will be the first baby that Matilda has ever seen.”

Watching Karen care for a calf may even help give Matilda some experience to become a successful mother one day herself.

While the arrival of a new calf is a great joy, it does change the social dynamics of the herd significantly during the first couple months, as hippo mothers are extremely protective of their young.

Normally, the family spends most of every day together, but during this time guests may notice Karen avoiding Moe and Matilda. She may even get a bit confrontational with the others, but this is completely normal postpartum behavior for hippos. Animal care staff will also be keeping an extra close eye on the herd to move Moe or Matilda to another area if necessary.

“In the wild, expecting mothers leave the herd to give birth and bond with the calf before they bring it back to the group, so she just instinctively doesn't want the other hippos too close by,” Thietten explained. “The other hippos are pretty good at reading her body language though, and listening to what she's saying, but it usually takes a couple of months before things go back to normal.” 

Native to Africa, the hippopotamus also known as the Nile hippopotamus, river hippopotamus, or common hippopotamus, are listed as Vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Every new birth is important to conservation efforts, and we are thrilled to see the BioPark hippo family grow. 

“Hippo babies are the most fun animal I've worked with in my 20-plus years of being a zookeeper,” said Thietten. “They've got so much personality, and I'm super excited about having four hippos in the pool again.”

MEDIA: Photos and videos are available. (More being added as we acquire it).
You may also visit the ABQ BioPark Zoo today, October 14,  between 1:30 & 2:00 pm for interview and possible b-roll opportunity.